


Watering the Roses

by evilwriter37



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cats, First Meeting, Flowers, Human!Aziraphale, Human!Crowley, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 09:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20776292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: Aziraphale chases his cat into his neighbor Crowley's yard, who happens to be outside watering his roses.





	Watering the Roses

Inspired by this[ tumblr post. ](https://lemonsharks.tumblr.com/post/186945279258/rip-rip-rip-i-can-never-interact-with-my-neighbor)

Aziraphale chased his cat across the front yard. Augustus had gotten out while Aziraphale was leaning out the door to retrieve his mail, and now he was heading for the shrubs that separated his yard from the neighbor’s. He saw him pause curiously by them to sniff, and then his white fur and dark tail disappeared into the shrub. With a huff, Aziraphale adjusted his coat, got down onto his hands and knees, and stuck his head through the shrub, spotting Augustus just on the other side. 

“My scrumptious darling boy, what_ ever _ are you doing over there?” he asked his cat, a little breathless.

“Uh… watering my roses?” an answer came back, and Aziraphale was quite certain that hadn’t been his cat. He looked, and in front of the house was a man that looked to be around his age all dressed in black with short, dark red hair. He had a hose directed at his rose bush and was looking at Aziraphale questioningly with eyes that appeared to be golden. “You?”

_ Well, this is awkward. _

Aziraphale crawled all the way through the shrub and into his neighbor’s yard, face flushing red. He carefully picked up Augustus, who meowed a little in discontentment now that his adventure was being ruined. 

“Just chasing my cat,” Aziraphale said. “He got out. He hardly ever does that. I’m so sorry he got into your yard. I would never just crawl through a shrub into someone else’s yard were it not absolutely necessary.” Oh no, he was rambling. The red-haired man was just looking at him with an amused smile. And, oh no, he was attractive. 

Aziraphale cleared his throat as the man turned off the hose, held out one hand while cradling Augustus in the other arm.

“Um, I’m Aziraphale.”

The man took his hand in a firm grip. His fingers were long and slender. “Crowley,” the man answered.

“Odd name,” Aziraphale commented.

“One could say the same about yours.” He was still wearing that amused smile. 

Aziraphale’s face went even more red. “By the way, uh, earlier, I was talking to the cat, not you.”

“So I’m not scrumptious?” Crowley asked, putting one hand on his hip. 

Aziraphale flapped his mouth for a moment or two without making a sound, unsure of what to say. 

“I mean, I suppose you are, but-”

“Can I tempt you to dinner sometime?”

Augustus wriggled a little in Aziraphale’s arms, impatient about being held for so long. Given his squirming, it took Aziraphale a moment to realize that he’d been asked out on a _ date _, by his neighbor, whom he’d just met in the most awkward of situations. How could this man ask him out when he appeared to be nothing but a bumbling idiot?

“Uh, yes, yes, that would be great.” He smiled despite his misgivings. 

“How about I pop over when I’m done with my garden and we can exchange numbers?” Crowley suggested.

“Yes, jolly good.” Augustus was getting more impatient now. Aziraphale was sure the claws would be coming out any moment. Embarrassed, flustered, he left his neighbor’s yard and walked around the shrubs, back to his own. He was relieved once he got back in the house and put Augustus down. He looked at his cat for a long moment.

“That was very bad of you, Augustus,” he scolded, wagging a finger. “You could have gone somewhere dangerous.”

Augustus just looked at him innocently with his blue eyes and meowed. He apparently saw no wrongdoing in this. Then again, he had just gotten him a date. A date! Aziraphale hadn’t gone on a date with someone in a very long time. He’d been much more interested in running his antique bookshop and doing research than dating people, but something about Crowley seemed different than his other partners. He was more… enticing. 

Oh! And he was coming over in a moment for them to exchange numbers. Aziraphale didn’t have a cellphone, but an antique rotary phone. He just didn’t see the point in upgrading when this phone worked perfectly fine. It fit his style more too. 

Should Aziraphale tidy up? Did he have time to change clothes? He looked down at himself, saw grass stains on his tan dress pants. (He didn’t exactly know what the meaning of casual was.) 

Augustus went on his merry way, probably to sunbathe, while Aziraphale rushed upstairs and changed his pants. He was just coming down his stairs when the doorbell rang. 

“Oh bother.” No time to put away all his clutter then. There were books and various notebooks all over the place. Maybe this would be quick and Crowley wouldn’t come inside. Oh, he hadn’t even written down his number! 

Aziraphale went to open the door, and Crowley was standing there with a suave smile on his face, wearing a pair of sunglasses now. A shame. Aziraphale had liked his eyes. 

“My number,” Crowley said, extending a flashcard with a phone number written on it. “You can call or text.”

“Actually, I don’t text,” Aziraphale said, taking the flashcard. “I have an old phone.” He felt rude just standing there. “Why don’t you come in?” It was the least he could do after bombarding him while gardening. He stepped aside to let Crowley enter, and he did, hands in his pockets, taking a look around. He kept his sunglasses on. “Do you want tea?”

“Nah,” Crowley said casually, and Aziraphale was taken aback by his lack of politeness. It didn’t much matter to him but he’d just assumed that someone visiting his house for the first time would decline tea by saying “No, thank you.”

Aziraphale closed the door behind him, then led the way into the living room. He gestured to the couch that wasn’t crowded with books and paper to let Crowley know that he could sit, then began taking things off the couch opposite and carefully placing them on the already crowded coffee table.

“What do you do?” Crowley asked when Aziraphale had finally made himself a place to sit down. Before he sat, he grabbed a piece of notebook paper and a pen to write his number on. He used a book as something flat to write on.

“Oh, um, I run a bookshop,” Aziraphale answered. “An antique one. But I like to do my own historical research. This week’s research is about sugar.” It seemed like a boring topic, but Aziraphale adored sugar. Of course he would want to know where it had come from and how it had been used in the past. 

“Sweet tooth, then?”

“Most definitely.” Aziraphale smiled as he handed over his number and Crowley took it. He examined it before putting it in his pocket. His jeans were so tight that Aziraphale wondered how they even _ had _ pockets.

“So maybe I should be taking you to a café then,” Crowley said. “We could get dessert.”

“I like dinner too,” Aziraphale told him. 

“Any kind of food?”

“Most kinds, yes.”

“Hm, well, you look like a pretty distinguished man,” Crowley said. “The Ritz?”

“My dear, how much money do you have?” 

Crowley shrugged. “Enough. So, that sound good?”

“Yes, most definitely.” Aziraphale felt himself blushing again for some reason. Maybe it was because he could feel Crowley staring at him intently behind his sunglasses. 

Crowley stood. “Well, I’ll pick you up at six. Don’t forget to thank your cat.”

“For what?”

Aziraphale could almost feel Crowley wink. “For running into the right yard.” 


End file.
